Fears and Phobias

A phobia is generally described as an intense but illogical fear of a situation, object, person, or animal. Lots of people develop
fears and phobias as children, some grown out of these naturally as they get older but other may carry them for the rest of their
lives. In some cases sufferers could be seriously affected, both by the phobia itself (& accompanying symptoms) and/or by efforts to
stay away from or hide it. For example, a fear of flying (Aerophobia) may result in the individual being unable to travel and miss out on family holidays.

If you suffer with a fear or phobia, and want to resolve it and take back control of your life, then hypnotherapy could help you to
change your way of thinking; by talking about and understanding your phobia/s and where they have come from,
utilising relaxation and
visualisation techniques, and embedding positive suggestions to counteract the deep seated negative behaviour pattern behind the fear.

Normal fear is healthy, as usually when someone is scared of something there is a good chance that whatever they are afraid of could
actually cause them harm in some way. With a phobia generally the fear that is felt is not rational or logical and whatever is scaring
the person could not normally cause them any harm but then logically they know that already. But logic doesn’t help does it?

The overwhelming sense of fear and panic is very real for the phobic individual and it can affect them on many levels, despite
rational understanding that the feelings are extreme in relation to any actual danger. Sufferers can often experience physical symptoms such as shaking, sweating, feeling sick,
increased heart rate, breathing trouble, and an overwhelming desire to escape whatever is causing the phobic reaction.. or even a feeling of imminent death.

You may feel a bit silly talking about your particular phobia, and friends and family might think it’s daft, but I realise that no matter
what of the source of your fear is, the feeling of fear itself is very real and distressing.

The list of phobias is endless, from cotton wool (Bambakomallophobia) to buttons (Koumpounophobia), from cats (Ailurophobia) or dogs (Cynophobia)
to insects (Entomophobia) or snakes (Ophiophobia), from balloons (Globophobia) to the number four (Tetraphobia) and many more.

Social Phobia

(Fear of social situations or social anxiety)

Another common area for concern is “social phobias”, including fear of:

public speaking and performance anxiety (wedding speeches etc)

answering the telephone

undressing in public (changing rooms, the beach etc)

going into crowded public places (pubs, clubs, restaurants etc)

dining or drinking in public

going to parties/meetings and/or meeting new people

being the centre of attention/being looked at

using public toilets (Paruresis or bashful bladder syndrome)

People suffering from a social phobia might fear how others are seeing them, what they might be thinking about them, or feel that whatever they may
be doing is being noticed. People with these issues will often employ avoidance tactics to get out of whatever it is they are uncomfortable with,
from pretending to be ill to creating some instant “emergency” situation that demands their attention. However avoiding the problem will often only
make it worse & certainly won’t make the underlying problem go away.

So if you are motivated to regain control then hypnotherapy could help you to deal with your social phobia.
Start by booking a free, no obligation initial
consultation. We can meet up and have a friendly, informal chat about how your social phobia is affecting you and your life, and how hypnotherapy may be able to help.

Why do phobias develop?

Phobias do not usually develop for no reason; there are several possibilities that can trigger their onset. The most common reason is directly
suffering a distressing experience, for example nearly drowning as a child and then developing a fear of water (Hydrophobia) or being bitten by a dog & then developing a fear of all dogs (Cynophobia).

Another possibility which might cause a phobia is a false alarm. A person may experience a panic attack during a wedding, meeting or other social gathering and begin to associate it with that situation.
Similarly observing others could cause someone to develop a fearful response, for example, sitting in the dentist’s waiting room as a child, hearing a scream from an adult and
then becoming scared yourself.

Word of mouth is another reason behind some peoples fears… a parent telling their child how scary the big, tall building is, possibly because of their own existing fear, could lead
to the development of an irrational fear of heights.